I am a Research Fellow specialising in systematic reviews at the Institute of Clinical and Applied Health Research, University of Hull. I have over 10 years of experience in conducting systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and narrative syntheses, which I gained during my time at the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (CRD) and the Department of Health Sciences at the University of York, where I am also currently employed. My expertise includes leading systematic reviews, as well as performing diagnostic, rapid, and scoping reviews. In my current role at the University of Hull, I will be leading an umbrella review on the long-term safety of Oral Sodium Chloride, Corticosteroids, Acetazolamide, Thiazides, and Digoxin in patients with heart failure, funded by the NIHR Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB).
I obtained a Master's degree in Public Health (MPH) in 2011 and a Bachelor of Medical Sciences (Honours) in Nursing Studies in 2004 from the University of Sheffield. After completing my MPH, I moved to York to work at the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (CRD), where I conducted systematic reviews and health technology assessments. After six years at CRD, I moved to the Department of Health Sciences where I worked on a variety of projects.
Worsening congestion, or water retention, is a common cause of hospitalisations for heart failure (HF) and accounts for a significant portion of the estimated £2 billion spent annually on managing HF in the UK. Within 30 days of discharge, one in four patients will either be readmitted or die, often due to inadequate control of congestion. Currently, intravenous (IV) furosemide is the primary treatment for severe congestion; however, side effects and relapses are frequent.
Combining furosemide with adjunctive therapies during hospitalisation and after discharge may achieve several benefits: 1) shorten the length of hospital stays; 2) reduce the need for loop diuretics; 3) improve symptoms; and 4) decrease rates of readmission or death.
Possible oral adjuncts to loop diuretics include acetazolamide, thiazides, digoxin, oral sodium chloride, and glucocorticoids. The team will conduct rapid reviews of these candidate drug treatments, as well as an umbrella review of the long-term safety of the proposed adjunctive therapies. The findings from these reviews will be presented to an expert panel, which will make recommendations for trial design.
Area of Expertise
Systematic Reviews